The present invention generally relates to systems, instruments and methods for bending an elongate spinal implant used in association with a medical procedure. In one form, the medical procedure is a spinal stabilization procedure wherein an orthopedic construct is engaged along the spinal column, and the elongate spinal implant is a rod component anchored to the spinal column by a number of bone anchors.
The use of spinal constructs to stabilize and support a portion of the spinal column has become commonplace. In particular, spinal constructs frequently include several bone anchors that are anchored to various portions of the spinal column, and an elongate rod that extends between and is engaged with the bone anchors to provide stabilization and support to the spinal column. Typically, the elongate rod is initially provided in a substantially straight configuration, and is subsequently bent or contoured to facilitate engagement with each of the bone anchors and/or to provide a desired spinal curvature.
In the past, bending or contouring of elongated rods in situ was accomplished by instruments or tools that relied solely on manual application of a mechanical bending force. However, prior techniques and instrumentation involve applying bending forces to the spinal rod prior to implantation, resulting in a less than optimal fit between the bone anchors, or requiring multiple attempts to bend and implant the spinal rod to achieve the desired fit. Other techniques and instrumentation for bending of spinal rods required manual application of excessive bending forces, and also risked fracturing or weakening of the elongate rod and/or degrading the material properties associated with the elongate rod. Furthermore, bending of spinal rods in situ, i.e. when implanted in the patient, present difficulties due the small space available to maneuver the surgical instruments, and the risk of inadvertent damage to tissue should the instrument be mishandled or too much force applied to bend the spinal rod. In this arena, the desire persists for improved implant bending/contouring capabilities. Thus, there is a need for additional contributions in this area of technology.